SEC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

2. Grant Williams

There have been many important faces and figures in Tennessee’s recent rise to prominence but Williams is certainly the one with the most accolades and prominence during Rick Barnes’ tenure. A 6’7 forward from Charlotte, North Carolina, he arrived at Tennessee back in 2016 and would star on the national level with the Volunteers across the next three seasons.

While the program was still reloading during his freshman year, his 12.6 points a game certainly wasn’t a shabby effort. Williams would then average 15.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in a sophomore season where he led Tennessee to the SEC regular season crown. His two best games of his career both came at rival Vanderbilt, including a 43-point effort as a junior. With better shooting numbers, he put up 18.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in that third and final collegiate season leading the Volunteers to the Sweet Sixteen.

For his efforts, Williams was named SEC Player of the Year as both a sophomore and junior. He was a First Team All-American and a finalist for the major awards in that final season, spearheading the Volunteers rise into prominent in the SEC and in the postseason. Williams was the SEC’s leading scorer as a junior, had decent rebounding and shooting numbers, and set himself up well for the following years. After forgoing his senior season, Williams was taken in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft.